AIBU to think that team should be available at 9am for meetings?

[Overthebow]

I set up a weekly client meeting for my project team at 9am. I have had a decline from a key team member as it clashes with school drop of time. AIBU to think that 9am is a standard working time and my team should be available to attend important client calls at this time, unless they have a formal working hours agreement in place?

I disagree, core hours of work historically in mine/DHs jobs tend to be 10-12 and 2-4.

A 10am meeting would be standard for us and well attended.

@JoBrodie

10am fan here. Adapting one of my favourite lines from Red Dwarf: Lister, on art college: "They had lectures like first thing in the afternoon morning. We're talking half past twelve 9am every (Mon)day. Who's together by then? You can still taste the toothpaste." ;)

Jo

Best post on the thread. 🏆

@Snoozer11

You are the problem.

If it's a weekly call, it's not urgent. It is extremely bad practice to schedule a meeting at 9am. What if someone's train is cancelled?

If your team are taking their kids to school, it's obvious that they are permitted to start a bit later. Companies generally have core hours, which apply to everyone. You don't get to choose the core hours you'd prefer.

We all work with someone like you. In my experience, people like you are generally not very good at your job and are a hindrance to the team.

👏👏👏

She’s a mother first and foremost. She has parental responsibilities despite seniority and role modelling good work life balance is important. Would it really kill you to set a 9.15 or 9.30 meeting next time?

@Werehamster

It's hard to tell who is being unreasonable based on the limited information.

Is it just one person who can't make the meeting on time or several?
What are their excuses?
Are the excuses unreasonable, such as I like to walk my dog or I just can't be bothered?
Or are they reasonable, such as I have to do a school drop-off but can start at 9.10am instead?

I think once you have a full picture of the situation, then you decide whether it's a case of, sorry you need to get up a little earlier to walk your dog, or I understand your situation is difficult, so will ask the client if they can start at 9.15am instead or you can join join us slightly later and you can watch that part of the meeting back later.

Sorry, i think I must be hard of reading today. Most of the information is in the OP's posts.

What time can the member join in the meeting? Is there no flexibility at all?

I also think you are being kind of harsh about this.

You seem a bit controlling OP.

It might be good for you to find a way to handle your frustration more productively. Holiday, spa weekend, yoga, therapy, meditation…

If she only needs an extra 15 minutes I think YABU, if she's asking for it not to start until 10am or similar then YANBU

Generally, yes, I would assume 9am was a reasonable time to expect someone to join a meeting, however you don't have any cores hours or an official start time, so I am not really sure what you want people to say. If you need your team need to be available from 9am then I think you need to tell them this and set a more structured pattern in place.

Wow. I have meetings at 9am pretty much every day. I join them after dropping DD at school.

It never even occurred to me that it was weird.

We have a huge work programme, everyone’s busy, and we put meetings in the times when most people are available - these times are few and far between, so 9am is a regular slot.

@mynameiscalypso

I used to work in a client facing role in professional services - if a client wanted a weekly 9am, that would be totally reasonable. I used to have a daily 6pm call which was a pain but I was paid to accommodate those kind of requests.

This! Clearly some people commenting on this thread don’t work in that sort of job. It’s absolutely a reasonable request, they are your client and childcare exists….

Ffs I work in a professional environment and can't ever imagine someone getting worked up over needing 15 mins to do the school run! As for your client in another time zone who has given you a non negotiable meeting time (not even by 15 mins) - twat! The workplace is changing and flexibility is important especially for working parents.

Does the whole team really need to be on a meeting every week?

Even before the pandemic, we only had meetings pre 9.30am, if there was really no other choice. I attended 2 in 2 years, so very rare.

We are also flexible workers. So if a meeting must be at a particular time, we give plenty of notice and/or discuss what works. People have other meetings, other work obligations sometime non work obligations.

Assuming everyone can be free at one particular time, every week when you don't have core hours is very very odd.

So much missing background information...
Why 9am? Is it random or because the time is relevant ie it feeds into another meeting at clients at 10am and they need an up to minute status?
What time zones - 9am is pretty reasonable across Asia, not great for Australia and awful for US? For argument sake if it's accommodating a colleague in Sydney I've more sympathy for not changing it, if it was India it's 2.30 so more reasonable to shift.
Who is the team member? Someone with specific technical skills that needs to update weekly, someone who could just be sat on mute during the call or someone who actually isn't necessary until later on it the project? By the way the level and type of skill could also mean if it's a issue that's genuinely justified then can they be swapped out for someone else?

In general it should be fine to accommodate a slightly later call especially if the core hours aren't strict fir a 9am start but there could be occasions when actually it's a reasonable request and employee needs to step up.

I think you're being U - is there any way you can change it? For important meetings at our place we try and hold them to avoid school drop-off/pick-up, lunchtimes, Fridays and after about 3pm generally. There also a push to avoid holding meetings at all if you don't really need them. It sounds a bit weird at first but there's a lot of emphasis on being aware that others have commitments/responsibilities that don't always sit with the more old fashioned idea of core hours and so we try to accommodate that. It actually works really well and when people are working they're much more focused and happier, because they don't have the stress of juggling the various commitments (or even, in the old days, just the commute) with important stuff at 9am.

We have a morning meeting everyday at 9am, I’m not sure why anyone would be annoyed about having to actually be partaking in work at 9am when they’re paid for it.

@PumpkinSpiceGirl

I’m amazed at all this flexibility around school runs, how the hell did anyone cope when they were in the office every day? It’s hard enough managing a team with all their different hours and requirements without having to take into account their kids as well. I think sometimes flexibility can swing so far the other way that it’s not really practical for the needs of the business.

We always had flexibility around the school run (many can’t wfh in my job). meetings are from 9.30am

@Hercisback

Good job none of you who need "time to warm up" work in a school. We're well into the swing by 9am.

The OP doesn’t work in a school though. None of the people responding that she is being unreasonable work factory or restaurant shifts either, or start on a ward at 7am. What is your point? Different sectors work differently. My husband is a teacher so he doesn’t do the nursery run as it is too late for him.

@Simonjt

We have a morning meeting everyday at 9am, I’m not sure why anyone would be annoyed about having to actually be partaking in work at 9am when they’re paid for it.

We're paid to work, yes, but with the pandemic the expectations around when have changed for the better. Flexibility has made life better for a lot of people and they're all still doing their work. Being at your desk/a meeting at 9am isn't the same as being a productive worker.

The whole point really is that someone has to start work before working parents do if there isn’t a SAHP

What's the point in having standard working hours that clash with school drop off times? Standard business hours need to mesh with standard home life schedules to the benefit of all.

If Covid had never happened, and everyone was working from the office, what time would people be at work? Would your colleague be lucky enough to drop her child at school if you were all back in the office, or would she have to leave home a lot earlier to get into work for 9am? What I'm trying to say is that, in this instance, she would need to consider what her usual hours of work were!

@Simonjt

We have a morning meeting everyday at 9am, I’m not sure why anyone would be annoyed about having to actually be partaking in work at 9am when they’re paid for it.

But they aren't paid to be in work at 9am. There's no core hours.

if the working day starts at 9 then a 9am meeting is perfectly acceptable as employees are expected to be there.

Time to warm up... WFH jokes surely
Hilarious. Agree with the teacher commenting, some of us are straight in at 8am. Imagine your horror if the nurse/doctor/NHS staff looking after you said 'oh I can't give you these medications, I need time to warm up after logging on and dropping kids off at school' and strolling in at 9:20!

Our core hours are 9.30-4 in a large University to accommodate school drop offs and make us more family friendly. Lots of people were skeptical at first but it has really worked well and helped a lot.